Luhnow also announced that catcher Carlos Corporan has been placed on the 7-day concussion disabled list and left-handed pitcher Wade LeBlanc has been designated for assignment. Corporan left last night's game vs. the Rangers in Arlington after being struck in the head by a foul tip while behind the plate."/>

Now Commenting On:

Martinez, Stassi join Astros

The Astros have selected right-handed pitcher David Martinez from Triple A Oklahoma City and catcher Max Stassi from Double A Corpus Christi, General Manager Jeff Luhnow announced today.

Luhnow also announced that catcher Carlos Corporan has been placed on the 7-day concussion disabled list and left-handed pitcher Wade LeBlanc has been designated for assignment. Corporan left last night's game vs. the Rangers in Arlington after being struck in the head by a foul tip while behind the plate.

This will mark the first Major League stints for Martinez and Stassi, both of whom are having outstanding minor league seasons. Martinez, 26, had spent most of the 2013 season at Corpus before being promoted to Oklahoma City earlier this month. At the two levels combined, he is 14-3 with a 2.20 ERA (34ER/139.1IP) in 28 appearances (20 starts) with two complete games. Martinez set a Corpus club record for wins (14) and still currently leads the Texas League in wins and ERA (2.02). He is a product of the Astros Venezuelan Academy after signing as a non-drafted free agent on March 3, 2005.

"I am so very happy for him," said Omar Lopez, who managed Martinez for two seasons while he was in the Venezuelan Summer League and currently manages the Astros Quad Cities club. "He has battled very hard his entire career and is a super kid, a model citizen. I'm very proud of him." Martinez is the first Astros player out of the Venezuelan Academy to make the Major Leagues since Jose Altuve, who was also managed by Lopez.

Stassi, 22, has been one of the most productive hitters in minor league baseball in recent weeks, having twice won Texas League Player of the Week honors (weeks ending 7/21 and 8/4). For July, he was named both the Astros Texas League Player of the Month and TOPPS Texas League Player of the Month after hitting .333 with 11 HR and 24 RBI with a .782 slugging pct. and a 1.185 OPS. Stassi hit 11 HR over a 19-game stretch (July 8-31), which included a streak of five straight games with a HR (July 15-21).

"Max has had a great year and is very deserving of this," Luhnow said. "He has earned this and is a very big part of our future."

For the season, Stassi hit .277 in 76 games for the Hooks with 20 doubles, 17 HR and 60 RBI with a .529 slugging pct. Stassi was acquired by the Astros from Oakland on Feb. 4 along with outfielder/first baseman Chris Carter and right-handed pitcher Brad Peacock in exchange for shortstop Jed Lowrie and right-handed pitcher Fernando Rodriguez.